Doi Co Bao Lau
by KuroSakura-chan
Summary: Kuronue has listened in on a conversation between Yusuke and the others, learing that Kurama has been abducted by Yomi. Not believing that his fox could be alive, he goes off in search of this 'Kurama', only to find something he never expected. Much bet
1. Chapter 1

-1Doi Co Bao Lau

Summary: Name's taken from a Vietnamese song (which rocks, find the band Cardin and listen to it) and it means 'To Be Alone.' Or something like that. Anyway, onto the actual summary. Kuronue, wandering around Ningenkai, learns of Kurama's kidnap by Yomi from listening to Yusuke's conversation with the others. Of course, he didn't believe that Youko could still be alive, but his curiosity got the best of him and he heads off to find Yomi and Kurama. However, what he finds is not what he was looking for.

Category: Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Angst. Romance. Crap like that.

Rating: M/NC-17

Couples: Karasu/Kurama (forced), Yomi/Kurama (forced)

Warnings: Look at my couples section. Don't ask questions like that. I will fill this in as I go along, however.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Sigh.

Kuronue glanced around the street boredly, watching all the ningens walking, pretending to have important things to do, yet all they were doing was trying to fill the voids in their lives. Kuronue knew what that was like. After living through that damned time and losing Youko, he'd found and been trying to fill that void himself. However, ningens were lucky; their lives were very short. Kuronue, however, would live on, remembering Youko's warning not to go after the necklace, that it wasn't worth it. He would also live on, remembering the sudden pang when he learned of Youko's death by the hands of that bounty hunter. Of course, he'd gotten revenge for his love, but that wouldn't bring the fox back to him.

Having nothing left to tie him to Makai, Kuronue slipped into Ningenkai, hoping to find some sort of entertainment or at least something to keep him occupied and off of the subject of Youko Kurama. Yet he found the same thing ningens did in the pointless struggle against the void; it was just that, pointless. Nothing he did could tear him from the sorrow of losing his fox and it was killing him. He only had a little while longer, in his own thoughts. Maybe a year or two, and he would just die from lack of caring. He no longer cared to take care of himself, and this would be what would kill him.

"…Kurama?" Kuronue stopped, hearing the name most precious to him. Glancing around, he saw four people standing together, one being a yokai, one being half-ningen, half-yokai, one being a damned Spirit agent, and one being a normal ningen.

"Yeah, where is he? He said he'd meet me after school to help me out with my school work." The half-breed commented, looking at the yokai.

"Why do you ask me? Kurama does not fill out a planner for me so that I would know where he is at all times, Detective." The yokai sneered.

"Look, shrimpy-" The ningen said threateningly, leaning forward as though to intimidate the yokai.

"Guys! I know where Kurama is." The Spirit agent exclaimed, effectively drawing everyone's attention to her. "He's in Makai."

"How did he get back there? Koenma told me that I could not return!" The yokai glared at the Spirit agent, causing her to cringe.

"He's not there willingly…He's been abducted by a higher level demon. I don't have any details as to how this was managed, but we believe that this demon has something against Kurama." She explained, edging away from the yokai.

"That's understandable…" the yokai muttered to himself.

"Hiei, what are you hiding from us?" the half-breed Spirit Detective demanded of the yokai.

Kuronue, having hidden in a tree earlier on during their conversation, inched closer to the four of interest. He managed to catch a bit of the yokai's mutterings, and fell out of the tree in surprise.

The three males of the group had surrounded him immediately, impressing Kuronue slightly. Of the three, the yokai was the only one that he recognized, now being face to face with him. It was the Forbidden Child that Youko had wanted to see when he was still alive.

"Forbidden Child. You say that this person, 'Kurama' is the Youko Kurama? Surely, you are delusional, that fox died many years ago." Kuronue ignored the Detective and ningen for the Forbidden Child.

"You are behind on the times. Youko fled to Ningenkai and took a human form after being fatally shot. Now, he goes by Kurama only." the Forbidden Child sneered, turning away from Kuronue with disinterest. "He is still powerful enough to protect himself from those who wish him harm."

"I wouldn't wish him harm even if he had attempted to take my life. Where is this yokai in a ningen guise that acts as my fox?" Kuronue demanded, setting a hand on Hiei's shoulder and spinning him around. "I'll not allow anyone to sully his name."

"He's not sullying his name," the Spirit Detective stated, setting a hand on Kuronue's shoulder. "Apparently, Kurama means a lot to you, so I think maybe you should just let Hiei go…"

"Do NOT presume to tell me what you believe is truth!" Kuronue swung around, glaring death at the Spirit Detective. "That is why yokai hate your kind so much! You believe something without even attempting to find out if it was truth or not!"

"Look, I don't know if Kurama is the person you seek or not, but he told me himself that he was once a spirit fox and had learned the art of thievery, which was his downfall. As for where he's at, we don't know. Well, we know that he's in Makai. Other than that, maybe Botan'll know more…" the Spirit Detective looked at the female, who shook her head.

"We only know that he's held in Makai by someone known as 'Yomi.'" Kuronue's heart skipped a beat as that name was uttered. Youko and Yomi had many problems that Yomi would never let go.

"Yomi, you said?" The female nodded. Kuronue nodded to himself and dashed off towards the nearest portal into Makai that he could find. He would find this 'Kurama' and if it wasn't Youko, he would kill him after killing Yomi. It was the least he could do for his fox, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

-1Doi Co Bao Lau

Summary: Name's taken from a Vietnamese song (which rocks, find the band Cardin and listen to it) and it means 'To Be Alone.' Or something like that. Anyway, onto the actual summary. Kuronue, wandering around Ningenkai, learns of Kurama's kidnap by Yomi from listening to Yusuke's conversation with the others. Of course, he didn't believe that Youko could still be alive, but his curiosity got the best of him and he heads off to find Yomi and Kurama. However, what he finds is not what he was looking for.

Category: Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Angst. Romance. Crap like that.

Rating: M/NC-17

Couples: Karasu/Kurama (forced), Yomi/Kurama (forced)

Warnings: Look at my couples section. Don't ask questions like that. I will fill this in as I go along, however.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Thanks:

Foxgirl28: Of course I'm going to update!! I know, it took awhile, but I've been embroiled in exams. TT

Red Kitsune Flames: Update delivered!

BBVixenXoXo: Um, here's the desperately needed update!!

Llonella: Yay, it's good.

Tala ishtar: I owe you an update somewhere else, don't I? Eee…Here's this update!

Kuronue stopped running once he had made it back to Makai. He had realized that he had no idea where he was supposed to be going, other than that Yomi had Kurama. A sigh and shrug later, he began walking. There was always a possibility of some yokai having the information he needed.

The area he had been transported to was rather rugged, with very few plants around. The sun blared down on him, though it was mostly blocked by his large hat. All around, there was rocks that stood taller than Kuronue. Knowing that this would be a perfect area for ambushes at, he pulled his blades out and kept his guard up. It would do him no good to die before learning the truth behind this Kurama who claimed to be his Youko.

The first sound that Kuronue noticed was stones clattering to the ground. Any other person would have ignored it as the ground shifting, but Kuronue knew it to be more. Any thief would, as it was one mistake that all thieves made in their lives. Instead of watching where they were walking, they watched their mark wholly. Thus, stupid mistakes like giving away your position happened. A good thief learned from doing it a couple times. An excellent thief never made the mistake again and still got the mark the mistake was made on.

Kuronue waited, listening for any more tell-tale signs of the thief. Hearing a slight movement on his left, he shrugged and continued on his way as though he had passed the noise off. Not even two steps later, a yokai had lunged at him.

…

"So, now…You're going to tell me what I want to know…" Kuronue smirked, twirling his pendant around his fingers. The yokai nodded quickly, his eyes wide.

Karasu

"Your face is so very beautiful…I wish I could place you at my side for all eternity…" Karasu murmured, stroking his right index finger down Kurama's cheek.

"Get away from me, freak!" Kurama shouted hoarsely, his voice almost gone from the screams forced from him earlier.

"Now, now, Kurama…That's no way to respond when someone is complimenting you…" Karasu's left hand twitched, and the ends of the whip he held struck Kurama's stomach, wrenching another scream from the red-head.

"Karasu." Yomi's cold voice overpowered the lingering echoes of the scream. "Come."

Karasu let his fingers slide down Kurama's bare side before he turned, dropping the whip, and followed Yomi from the room. Yomi led Karasu back to his personal chambers where he sat at a chess set. Karasu stood, watching the blind yokai warily.

"Did I not order you to stay away from Kurama?"

"Yes, but…"

"No 'buts,' Karasu. Stay away from him. I do not need you to awaken Youko quite yet. I wish to see who may come for him." Yomi move a pawn forward two spaces, then motioned for Karasu to move a piece. Unwillingly, Karasu stepped forward and moved a random pawn. He never was good at this game…

"Yomi, the Forbidden Child is not that interesting, really. I've seen him and-" He paused as he moved another pawn, which Yomi quickly captured. "Er…" He moved his right bishop to where one of his old pawns used to be.

"How easily you lose your train of thought, Karasu. It is too bad. Besides, the Forbidden Child is not my true interest…There is always that Spirit Detective…"

Silence reigned for minutes as they continued their game, Yomi quickly pulling into the lead. Finally, Karasu made the mistake Yomi had been waiting for.

"Though you never know who else may crawl out of the woodwork to save him." Yomi smirked as he took Karasu's king. "And I always win."

Yusuke

"Who the hell _was_ that guy?" Yusuke wondered aloud for the hundredth time since Botan had left to check Kuronue's identity. Hiei still refused to say anything and Kuwabara shrugged.

"Probably just some yokai that knew the old Kurama."

"Bingo, Kuwabara. That's exactly who he was." Botan walked into the room, carrying a file. A LARGE file. "Here, Yusuke. I brought part of his file."

"'Part?' Botan, that's huge!" Yusuke exclaimed as she handed him the file. Even though he was complaining, he opened the file and began to skim through the pages.

"Well, his file coincides with Youko Kurama's so…" Botan trailed off as Hiei snatched a paper from Yusuke.

"Dammit…" Hiei growled as he read the paper over.

"What is it, Hiei?" Yusuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We have to find Kurama before he does." Hiei snarled, throwing the paper back at Yusuke.

"Look, shrimp, I don't know what your problem is-"

"No, Kuwabara, let's hear him out. What makes you say that? It says that he was Youko Kurama's partner." Yusuke said, putting down the file.

"Exactly. He was _Youko_ Kurama's partner. He isn't going to settle for the ningen form; he will awaken Youko." Hiei said coldly.

"How's that bad? Won't it make him stronger?" Kuwabara scratched the back of his head.

"No…Hiei's right. I doubt that Youko would be willing to live the life that Kurama has been leading once he knows his partner is alive." Hiei looked at Yusuke with an appraising look.

"You're not a complete idiot after all. Woman, do you have any idea where Yomi is keeping Kurama?" Hiei demanded.

"Ah…Yes. Here…" She handed Yusuke a slip of paper. "Guys, be careful…Maybe you should ask Touya and Jinn for help…"

"There's no time, Botan. That Kuronue has almost a day on us." Yusuke said, shaking his head.

"Send Kuwabara to find them! Please, this is dangerous…" Botan pleaded.

"Send the moron. He can at least be useful that way." Hiei said. Kuwabara growled, but Yusuke held up a hand to silence him.

"Alright. Kuwabara, here." Yusuke wrote some things on a piece of paper and handed it to Kuwabara. "That has the address that Touya and Jinn are staying at as well as where Hiei and I are headed. Be quick about getting them, but don't be too disappointed if we finish before you get there. Botan," Yusuke turned to the woman. "would you let Keiko know I'll be gone for a little while? Thanks." He and Hiei then ran from the room.

A/N: I meant for this to be longer, but it was a large amount of pages written out, and it just seemed a good place to end the chapter. Anyway, R&R and I will see you next update!


	3. Chapter 3

-1Doi Co Bao Lau

Summary: Name's taken from a Vietnamese song (which rocks, find the band Cardin and listen to it) and it means 'To Be Alone.' Or something like that. Anyway, onto the actual summary. Kuronue, wandering around Ningenkai, learns of Kurama's kidnap by Yomi from listening to Yusuke's conversation with the others. Of course, he didn't believe that Youko could still be alive, but his curiosity got the best of him and he heads off to find Yomi and Kurama. However, what he finds is not what he was looking for.

Category: Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Angst. Romance. Crap like that.

Rating: M/NC-17

Couples: Karasu/Kurama (forced), Yomi/Kurama (forced), Kuronue/Youko

Warnings: Look at my couples section. Don't ask questions like that. I will fill this in as I go along, however.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Thanks:

Youko-Kuronue: Ouch, you make me feel bad!! I put a lot of time into writing these things, you know. Anyway, I'm kidding, and I'm glad you reviewed!!

Tala ishtar: I have no idea how Kurama got snatched. I suppose I'll have to think that up, huh? And about the other update-I'm working on it.

Kuronue

He looked up at the dark, stone castle before darting into a thorny bush as he heard someone begin walking up from behind. The yokai had long, black hair, and he wore a mask. He also wore a long, black coat that flared out at the end and was red on the inside. He stalked around in front of the castle for a little while before stopping and leaning against a wall.

"Ah, I'd much rather be inside with that beautiful fox than out here, playing Yomi's guard…" Kuronue had to bite the inside of his cheek to remind himself that he was there for stealth. He could not afford to be caught now.

The yokai stayed outside for awhile until another came and said something to him. He nodded and stood straight, stretching, then walked inside.

Kuronue waited for a few minutes before hurrying around to the small crack in the wall he had found earlier in the day. Slipping inside, he found himself in a dingy hallway with one torch to light each 50 feet. He stole down the hall, pausing to listen for any noise before stepping into the torch light. He had no idea where Yomi's dungeon was located, but the general area for dungeons were in the deep, dark parts of the castle, so that was where he headed.

Oddly enough, he came upon no guards or anyone, for that matter. The dungeon was easily found and contained none other than a young, red-headed ningen. Kuronue sidled up to the ningen quietly, yet the boy still looked up at him. Faced with the stare from the deep green eyes owned by the ningen, Kuronue could not help but see the wisdom gained by Youko. He reached up and set a hand on the ningen's cheek, who winced.

"…Youko…?" Kuronue asked softly, stroking the cheek, hoping the eyes would open and contain golden orbs alight with mischief. "Are you in there, Youko…?"

"You're…Kuronue…right? His old partner…?" The ningen opened his eyes, which had indeed turned golden. Kuronue's heart leaped into his throat as he nodded. "He thought…you were dead…" Kuronue noticed that the ningen's voice was very raspy.

"Is Youko in there? In you?" Kuronue asked.

"Yeah-" The ningen never finished what he had planned to say as Kuronue pressed his lips against the full ones of the ningen. The golden orbs widened before lidding halfway as a transformation took the boy.

The red hair lengthened and straightened, slowly turning silver as on top of the boy's head, large fox ears grew. His face angled more to a point for his chin and thinned out slightly. His eyes slimmed in size and became sharper, becoming eyes that none would trust if they looked into them for long. He grew in height about three, maybe four inches, making the chains holding him to the wall dig into his ankles. A long, semi-bushy tail pushed out behind him, pressing him closer to Kuronue.

Kuronue stepped away from the changed boy after picking the locks on the manacles. The silver-haired one stumbled slightly as he was released suddenly, but he quickly regained his balance. He looked up at Kuronue and smirked, reaching up and pulling on a strand of Kuronue's hair.

"I thought you were dead."

"Same here, Youko. However, it looks to me like you were just hiding out in a ningen for awhile." Kuronue tossed a package at Youko, who caught it easily. He opened the package and donned the white clothing inside, reaching down to slip the soft slippers onto his feet.

"I wasn't 'hiding out.' I was shot and wounded pretty badly. Shuuichi's soul and mine agreed to share this body." Youko stated, tugging on the strand of Kuronue's hair that he held.

"So the Spirit Detective and Forbidden Child _are_ your friends."

"No. They're Shuuichi's friends. I've been very hands-off, mostly." Youko shrugged.

"Well, it's time to become hands-on again. Come on, let's get out of here." Kuronue extended his hand to Youko. "I'm sure you're not ready to run just yet. You've been in those manacles for awhile now." Youko grimaced slightly, knowing Kuronue was right, but he took the offered hand, walking out with him.

Yusuke

"What is this, every yokai and their grandmother heard we were coming and decided to show up to welcome us?" Yusuke complained as he shot off another Spirit Gun.

"Quit complaining, Detective. They're gone." Hiei growled as he turned Yusuke around to look at the castle before them.

"And that," Yusuke muttered, "would be Yomi's stronghold."

A/N: Heh. Yusuke and Hiei are a little bit late!! (sing-song voice) Sucks to be them. Poor Hiei. Youko's not going back to the ningen way of living without a fight, that's for sure. Anyway, R&R!!


	4. Chapter 4

-1Doi Co Bao Lau

Summary: Name's taken from a Vietnamese song (which rocks, find the band Cardin and listen to it) and it means 'To Be Alone.' Or something like that. Anyway, onto the actual summary. Kuronue, wandering around Ningenkai, learns of Kurama's kidnap by Yomi from listening to Yusuke's conversation with the others. Of course, he didn't believe that Youko could still be alive, but his curiosity got the best of him and he heads off to find Yomi and Kurama. However, what he finds is not what he was looking for.  
Category: Yu Yu Hakusho  
Genre: Angst. Romance. Crap like that.  
Rating: M/NC-17  
Couples: Karasu/Kurama (forced)mentioned, Yomi/Kurama (forced)mentioned, Kuronue/Youko, Hiei/Kurama  
Warnings: Look at my couples section. Don't ask questions like that. I will fill this in as I go along, however.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.  
..  
Kuronue  
"Are you still in much pain?" He asked, glancing over at Youko, who shook his head. "That is good."  
"I was never in much pain to begin with. Most of it was Shuuichi's pain. After all, he was the one that dealt with the abuse." Youko said before purring and leaning onto Kuronue. "I've missed you."  
"I have missed you too, my little kitsune." Kuronue responded, wrapping his arms around Youko. "However, I am perplexed. How did you come to reside in a ningen form?"  
Youko wrinkled his nose before answering. "I was reckless. After you had died, or so I thought, I didn't take many precautions while relieving the rich of their possessions. Well, a bounty hunter caught up with me and wounded me pretty badly. Using most of the power I had left, I fled to Ningenkai and talked Shuuichi's soul into sharing his body with me. And here I am." Youko nuzzled Kuronue, obviously not wanting to discuss this topic any further. "What about you? How are you alive?"  
"I really do not know. Everything is a blur or black until I woke up on the outskirts of a town. I had been medicated, but I have no idea who by. After that, I searched around for you until I received word that you were dead." Kuronue answered, placing a kiss on Youko's forehead. "Then I slipped into Ningenkai and ran into your Forbidden Child."  
"Did you now? Shuuichi's in love with him, you know. I found it funny." Youko commented.  
"I'm sure you did. So, you're ningen is in love with the Forbidden Child…Does he feel the same?" Youko chuckled.  
"I would say so."  
"Doesn't that mean he'll come to take the ningen back?" Youko growled suddenly, sitting up.  
"I won't let him. Not when I finally got you back. Shuuichi's controlled our lives for the past 17 years! It's my turn to live!"  
"Ok, ok, Youko, don't worry. We'll get through this." Kuronue said consolingly, stroking Youko's hair. "Don't worry, koi…"  
Hiei  
He sliced through another pair of yokai, clearing the path to the dungeon. Even as he dashed inside, he knew that Kurama wasn't there. There was a faint feel of his yokai signature, but he wasn't there.  
Yusuke ran in a few seconds later, panting. He looked around for a bit before cursing as he scratched his head. "Kuronue got here first, huh?"  
"Unless Youko Kurama got sick of hanging around and broke them out himself. However, I highly doubt that. There is Youko's yokai signature here, but there is another's as well." Hiei responded, his voice barely concealing his frustration. He had run Yusuke to the bone to get here on time and they were still too late. It was going to be extremely difficult to pull Kurama out of this one.  
"Well, I suppose it's time we got out of here and started looking for him." Yusuke commented, turning back to the door. "Though, I was kinda wondering…Didn't that break-in seem kinda easy? I mean, where's the master of the keep and all that shit?"  
"That isn't something you should just ask, Detective. For all we know, he's coming down the hallway to this dungeon. It would be best if you just thought about us getting out of here and finding Kurama." Hiei snapped, glaring at Yusuke, who held his hands up in a peaceful gesture.  
"Whoa, whoa, I got it. Let's get going then." Yusuke took one step out of the door and into a yokai.  
"We were thinking the same thing. The Forbidden Child and a Spirit Detective. You two are not the ones who freed Kurama then. So, I'm wondering who it may have been. Perhaps you care to enlighten me?" The yokai smiled pleasantly and Hiei grit his teeth.  
"Who the hell are you?" Yusuke demanded. The yokai's smile slipped slightly as he turned his head towards Yusuke. He never opened his eyes, but Hiei was sure that the six or so ears on his head more than made up for them.  
"Why, I'm the 'master of the keep,' as you put it. I am Yomi." The yokai answered, his smile resurfacing.  
"Oh. So, you're the yokai that snatched Kurama?" The yokai nodded. "Ok. That's all I needed." Yusuke started to power up his Spirit Gun.  
"Detective, he's too strong for you." Hiei stated, moving forward. Yusuke, in his normal fashion, completely ignored him and pointed his Spirit Gun at Yomi.  
"Say goodbye."  
A/N: Ack! I promised myself no more chapters under 4 pages, but I can't think of anything else right now! I promise that I'll make it up next chapter (whenever that gets done). PLEASE THANK SUNNY FOR UPDATING THIS FOR ME!!! SHE'S SUCH A NICE PERSON AND MY ONLY HOPE OF UPDATING AT THIS POINT IN TIME AS I DO NOT HAVE INTERNET!! R&R!!

Sunny: Yeah! That's me! Right here! I'll be helping Kuro put up her stories for a 'lil bit!

Sunny 2: Wow she called you nice... that's new...

Sunny: That IS new... I'm kinda scared now...


	5. Chapter 5

-1Doi Co Bao Lau

Summary: Name's taken from a Vietnamese song (which rocks, find the band Cardin and listen to it) and it means 'To Be Alone.' Or something like that. Anyway, onto the actual summary. Kuronue, wandering around Ningenkai, learns of Kurama's kidnap by Yomi from listening to Yusuke's conversation with the others. Of course, he didn't believe that Youko could still be alive, but his curiosity got the best of him and he heads off to find Yomi and Kurama. However, what he finds is not what he was looking for.

Category: Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Angst. Romance. Crap like that.

Rating: M/NC-17

Couples: Karasu/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Yomi/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Kuronue/Youko, Hiei/Kurama

Warnings: Look at my couples section. Don't ask questions like that. I will fill this in as I go along, however.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

[Kuronue

He smiled as laughter sprang from his love's mouth. Youko was most delighted to inform Makai's rich and powerful that they were back. Plenty of yokai pissed themselves when he and Youko appeared before them, bringing much entertainment to his kitsune. The yokai still feared them though they'd been legends for years.

"Kuronue!" He turned, hearing his kitsune call to him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm heading to town for a bit. Gotta pick some things up and listen for news. I'll bring ya something special, ok?" He said, and Youko grinned.

"Ok. Don't spend too much." Youko paused and frowned. "How very…Shuuichi of me. Ignore that last comment."

"Got it." Kuronue responded, turning and heading towards town, thinking on the last thing Youko said. _'How very…Shuuichi of me.'_ He shook his head, clearing it. There was no way he would allow anyone to take Youko from him again. Not even the ningen responsible for Youko's continued existence.

"Any news, Tori?" Kuronue asked, grinning as the rest of the yokai in the tavern gave him a wide berth.

"Surprisingly, yes. First off, Youko Kurama has been sighted again. Of course, I'm sure you already know that, since the sightings also mentioned you." Tori grinned. The kid was a wolf yokai and though he was little more than a pup, no one made trouble in his tavern.

"I might know something about it…" Kuronue's grin grew.

"I'm sure, I'm sure. Anyway, the other news is…" Tori glanced around and leaned forward to whisper into Kuronue's ear. "Lord Yomi has caught a Spirit Detective and the Forbidden Child." Tori leaned back. "It seems that your return has brought up a lot of returns."

"Yomi has them?" Kuronue frowned. The Spirit Detective must've been the half-breed he'd met in Ningenkai. There was no mistaking who the Forbidden Child was. They were searching for Youko, that was for sure.

"Yeah. Heard that he's offered to give them to whatever yokai brings him Youko Kurama. A lot of yokai are getting into it since they can do whatever they want to the Spirit Detective." Tori shrugged. "I'd like to know what the hell he's doing in Makai, though it probably isn't my business. Anyway, you'd best look after Youko."

"Right. Thanks, Tori." Kuronue waved as he walked out of the tavern. If Yomi really was offering the Spirit Detective and the Forbidden Child as a reward for bringing him Youko, then there would be many yokai looking for he and Youko.

'Looks like we'll have to stop being so flashy for awhile…' he thought to himself as he made his way back to the hideout. While on his way, he heard noises on both sides of him. He paused, and the noises stopped. He quickly realized that he was being tracked. It made sense; he lived with Youko.

When he started moving again, the noises resumed, much to his annoyance. Did they honestly think that he was just going to lead them to Youko? Anyone with any sense would know better.

He paused again, thinking of somewhere else to lead them and grinned when an idea struck his fancy. He darted to his left and the noises picked up, letting him know that the chase was on.

His pursuers followed him to a large clearing that contained a spring of crystal clear water. It looked perfect to swim in. What most didn't know was that if one set foot in the water, they'd be paralyzed and then eaten by water sprites. Vicious little bastards. Youko had saved him from that fate not long after they first met. In any case, this would be a perfect way to rid himself of a few unwanted followers.

He stopped just before the water, keeping his back to the forest and his pursuit. He pretended not to hear the approaching footsteps of the yokai who were following him. He saw as the little water sprites noticed their company and became excited, making him grin. They were insatiable in their hunger.

The footsteps stopped a few feet behind him and he heard weapons being drawn. He ruffled his wings and his grin widened as he heard low growls.

"I'm not going to just lead you to Youko, you know." He said cheerfully.

"Then we'll make you take us to him by force!" A yokai shouted and he heard them pounce at him. He jumped into the air and watched as three of the five yokai fell into the water. They never managed to stand up and soon, the water was red with their blood. The other two yokai landed short of the water and one was taking to the air. The other had a bow and had begun to draw an arrow.

Kuronue pulled a sickle out and swung it at the airborne yokai, a crow, he believed. The yokai managed to dodge, but in that effort, Kuronue hit his wing with another sickle. As the yokai fell screeching to the water, Kuronue turned his attention to the yokai with the bow and arrow, surprised he hadn't been attacked. All he saw of the yokai was ribbons of flesh and meat. Youko stood by the remains, waiting for him to land. As he did, his kitsune grinned.

"Some gift, Kuro."

[Botan

"Kuwabara! Kuwabara, wait!" She jumped off her oar and landed on top of the young man. Touya and Jinn stood beside him, staring at her with traces of amusement in their eyes.

"OW!! Damn, Botan, that hurt! What do you want? We gotta try to catch up with Yusuke and Hiei." Kuwabara glared over his shoulder at the blue-haired woman sitting on his back.

"It's about that. Koenma-sama received a transmission from Hiei a few hours ago, telling us that they were apprehended by Yomi himself. He also said that Kurama was not there before the transmission was interrupted." Botan explained in a pained voice.

"So what does that do to the mission?" Touya asked, his voice soft. Botan turned to him after standing up.

"We are to find Youko Kurama and Kuronue and persuade them to aid us in the rescue of Yusuke and Hiei." She answered.

"Do you even know where they are?" Kuwabara asked, miffed that he wasn't going to be able to storm the castle like Yusuke had.

"We have records of their previous hideouts. Hopefully, we'll get lucky and they'll be close. If not, we'll have to search all over Makai, and that could be dangerous." Botan responded, looking towards the portal into Makai.

A/N: Whelp, another chapter down! Sneak preview of next chapter:

"Youko, what's wrong?" Kuronue demanded worriedly as his love held his head with his hands.

"Shuuichi is fighting…He demands we go to help them." Youko answered slowly. Kuronue turned a glare on the four who were ruining everything.

R&R, please!!


	6. Chapter 6

-1Doi Co Bao Lau

Summary: Name's taken from a Vietnamese song (which rocks, find the band Cardin and listen to it) and it means 'To Be Alone.' Or something like that. Anyway, onto the actual summary. Kuronue, wandering around Ningenkai, learns of Kurama's kidnap by Yomi from listening to Yusuke's conversation with the others. Of course, he didn't believe that Youko could still be alive, but his curiosity got the best of him and he heads off to find Yomi and Kurama. However, what he finds is not what he was looking for.

Category: Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Angst. Romance. Crap like that.

Rating: M/NC-17

Couples: Karasu/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Yomi/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Kuronue/Youko, Hiei/Kurama

Warnings: Look at my couples section. Don't ask questions like that. I will fill this in as I go along, however.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

PLEASE READ THIS!!!!

I would appreciate it if someone would like be my manager!! I can only get on once a week, usually, but I'm sure that you all can rip me a new one for not updating in the fics you want to see more of with words. Of course, you'd have to try to get me motivated on other ones I'm working on too, but that's beside the point. If any of you are up for this, than either private message me, or e-mail me. If you e-mail me, than please make the topic 'Fanfiction Manager'. Thanks, all!

[Kuronue

He and Youko slowly made their way up to the entrance of the cave. They'd used the place as a hideout before, so Youko's plants were all around the place, but it had been a long time and they couldn't be sure that it wasn't inhabited now.

"The plants say that none have been here in a decade. They've been surviving off of random animals that come too close." Youko said quietly when the reached the entrance.

"They aren't going to eat me because I'm larger prey, are they?" He asked, glancing over at his fox.

Youko grinned. "No. They recognize your aura, so you and I are safe from their hunger. We will have to bring them some food soon, though. As thanks for their protection of our hideout."

"Of course. I would never argue against that." Kuronue commented and he stepped into the cave, swiping at some of the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. Youko followed him in, dropping the furs he'd carried along for their bedding.

"It has been a long time since we've inhabited this cave, hasn't it, Kuro?" The fox asked, looking around it.

"Mm-hmm. It was one of your favorites, and we started the group right here. But, it got too big and you were not willing to share your cave with the others, so we had to move." Kuronue answered, using his wings to blow as much dust out of the cave as possible.

"I wonder…" Youko murmured to himself, wandering towards the back of the cave. Kuronue watched him with interest and raised an eyebrow when he moved a rock aside to pull out a necklace with a stone of black onyx dangling from its chain.

"I gave that to you ages ago. I wondered where it had gone, since you never wore it." Kuronue commented. Youko shrugged and slipped it over his head.

"I liked it, but I thought it might get caught on something and slow us up. So I left it here. I was always sure we'd come back and I could get it then, but…" He stopped talking and put the rock back where it had been. "I was never as good as you at keeping things I wore from getting in my way."

"Not that I was really that good," Kuronue commented, "I mean, look what happened."

"That was different, Kuro, and you know it."

"Barely, koi, barely."

…

Kuronue was awake when Youko first tensed. Years of being separated from his fox had made him extremely sensitive to the barest of reactions from Youko.

He rolled onto his side and laid an arm over Youko, who relaxed slightly and turned to whisper into his ear.

"The plants say that there are four headed this way."

"Let the plants feast then. It will be a welcome feast for them, I'm sure." Kuronue whispered back. Youko nodded, but it was hesitant and Kuronue could tell that he was troubled. "Is the ningen acting up?"

"Shuuichi." Youko said automatically, then cursed. "Yes. He doesn't want to stay in Makai. He wishes to return to Ningenkai. And he also wants to feel the spirit energies of the four coming here."

"Why does he want to feel the energies?" Kuronue asked, confused as to who the ningen thought it might be. He knew why the ningen wanted to leave.

"He thinks it might be his friends coming to rescue him." Youko replied, a growl making the words a bit harsh.

"Hmm." Kuronue frowned. "Do you want me to kill them and bring their corpses here for the plants before you can feel their spirit energies?"

"No!" Kuronue blinked as Youko shouted. He saw his love's eyes flash green as he sat up, baring his fangs. Youko blinked and his eyes went back to their alluring gold. "No." This time it was said calmly. "He gains strength when what he loves is endangered…We should keep this in mind…"

"So…we're going to let him feel the energies, then?" Kuronue sat up and wrapped his arm around Youko's waist.

"We have no choice. I won't lose to him, but we may as well give him a few things he wants." Youko sighed. "Honestly, he's one of the most frustrating beings I've ever had to deal with."

Kuronue chuckled lightly. "I'm sure he feels the same about you." He stood and grabbed his clothes, pulling them on. "Come on. We may as well meet the intruders before they reach the plants." Youko nodded and stood, pulling his clothes on as well. They both slipped out into the darkness with no sound.

…

Kuronue stared down at the Spirit Agent, ningen, and the two yokai in disgust. They'd followed him here? How? There was no way they could've tracked him; no yokai could without him knowing.

He glared at the Spirit Agent. Perhaps Reikai had some information on him and Youko that told them how to find them.

He glanced up at Youko in the tree in front of him. Youko was frowning as well. After a moment, Youko glanced up at him and rolled his eyes, mouthing the word 'morons.'

"Wait. There's some really powerful energies above us…" The ningen muttered, looking up at the trees and stopping the other three. "One of them feels similar to Kurama's."

"We must've found them, then. Kurama, if you can hear us, please, we have to talk to you." The blue-haired Spirit Agent called into the trees. The two yokai, however, seemed to prepare themselves for battle. "What are you two doing?" The girl looked at them oddly.

"Youko Kurama may not be as kind as your Kurama. We are merely making sure that we are ready for anything." The ice-yokai answered, giving her a cold stare.

Kuronue looked back at Youko, who nodded. They jumped down beside the four, effectively startling the Agent. She squeaked and fell back onto her ass.

"Kurama-" The ningen started to walk towards Youko, but Kuronue growled and stepped between them.

"What are you doing here?" Youko said in his coldest commanding tone.

"How deeply is Kurama buried in your subconscious?" The Agent asked, brushing herself off as she stood again.

"Shuuichi is not your concern. What are you doing here?" Youko said, still using his cold tone.

"Uremeshi and Hiei have been caught-" Kuronue darted forward, clapping a hand over the ningen's mouth.

"Speak not of things you do not understand, ningen." He growled deeply, glaring darkly.

"What? What did you say?" Kuronue's eyes widened at the softer tone coming from Youko. He whipped around, expecting to see the ningen standing in Youko's place, but it was still Youko, only with green eyes and hair that was tinged red.

"Youko!" Kuronue almost flew over to him, grabbing his arm, and Youko set a hand against his head, his hair returning to its silver color and his eyes returning to their golden color. "Youko, what's wrong?" He demanded worriedly as his love held his head with his hands.

"Shuuichi is fighting…He demands we go to help them." Youko answered slowly. Kuronue turned a glare on the four who were ruining everything.

"Damn you…" He growled.

"It's his job to help. He's a Spirit Detective, also-" Youko's scoff cut the Agent off.

"We are not Spirit Detective's. We are yokai that Koenma is terrified of and has to find a way to keep us on a leash." Youko scowled darkly. "Kuronue and I will help you, only because then Shuuichi may leave us in peace."

"You're not gonna come back-"

"That's good enough for now." The Agent interrupted the ningen hastily. "We have to hurry, though. Who knows what Yomi could be doing to them."

"Nothing too bad." Kuronue answered, rolling his eyes. "He's offering them to whomever brings him Youko. If he damages them, the yokai won't be pleased."

"Don't talk about them as though they're just things, yokai!" The ningen glowered at him.

"That's what they are here, baka." Youko commented. "Honestly, what was that Detective thinking, coming here? He does not have the strength yet. And that the Forbidden Child let him…Tsk." Youko shook his head.

A/N: Here ya go! Sneak preview:

[Hiei

His eyes were closed, but he was not sleeping or unaware. In fact, he was keeping more awareness on his surroundings by shutting out the distractions sight can bring. That was when he felt it.

Youko Kurama's signature.

R&R please!


	7. Chapter 7

-1Doi Co Bao Lau

Summary: Name's taken from a Vietnamese song (which rocks, find the band Cardin and listen to it) and it means 'To Be Alone.' Or something like that. Anyway, onto the actual summary. Kuronue, wandering around Ningenkai, learns of Kurama's kidnap by Yomi from listening to Yusuke's conversation with the others. Of course, he didn't believe that Youko could still be alive, but his curiosity got the best of him and he heads off to find Yomi and Kurama. However, what he finds is not what he was looking for.

Category: Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Angst. Romance. Crap like that.

Rating: M/NC-17

Couples: Karasu/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Yomi/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Kuronue/Youko, Hiei/Kurama

Warnings: Look at my couples section. Don't ask questions like that. I will fill this in as I go along, however.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Kurama: Why are you rooting for Youko and Kuronue to win this little tussle over who keeps the body?

KuroSakura: Well…I love you and Hiei, I really do-

Hiei: What a fine way to show it.

KuroSakura: -but Youko and Kuronue are drop-dead sexy! I can't help it! Honestly, I can't!

Youko: We tend to have that effect on people.

Kuronue: Yep. (grin)

KuroSakura: See? It's not my fault! By the way, Inikus, thank you for responding! I know what it's like to be extremely busy (I have college apps to finish) so I don't mind. I'm just glad that someone responded to my call!

[Hiei

His eyes were closed, but he was not sleeping or unaware. In fact, he was keeping more awareness on his surroundings by shutting out the distractions sight can bring. That was when he felt it.

Youko Kurama's signature.

Only with his death-grip on his emotions did he manage to keep from opening his eyes and betraying that the kitsune was near with his surprise. After all, having Yomi and Karasu sitting in the same room, though tormenting the Detective as they were, and doing so would've wrought disaster. Especially since he felt five other signatures with the kitsune, four of them familiar. The fifth was strange yet seemed to be coming much more frequently sensed these days. It could only belong to the kitsune's partner, Kuronue.

That damn bat seemed to be bent on making his life a living hell. Just showing up in the first place was disastrous. If Kurama had been there when the bat had fallen out of the tree, Youko probably would've seized control and run off then. Even without Kurama having been there, this turn of events still sucked major ass. If that damn Botan hadn't told the bat who was holding the kitsune, there was a good possibility that he and the Detective would've been able to rescue Kurama with fairly little effort, judging by how simple it was to sneak in and make their way to the dungeon.

Well, that was in the past now. Instead, he now had the difficult jobs of escaping (with the Detective, of course), making sure that Kurama didn't get himself killed, and managing to recall his mate from the depths of the older kitsune.

'Somehow,' he thought to himself, 'dealing with Yomi seems far easier.'

He sighed inwardly and set himself to the task of tracking Youko's movements. They seemed to be coming closer, much to his annoyance. The damn kitsune was barely out of the dungeon and now he was wandering back? Clearly Youko lacked Kurama's common sense. Though, it did make things simpler in that he wouldn't have to traverse all of Makai to find him. Now it was just a matter of keeping Yomi in the dark about their little visitors. And escaping. Yes, escaping was definitely high on the list of priorities.

He could feel his lip curl as he studied Youko's signature. Silver with purple twisting and turning inside of it. Kuronue's signature was purple with silver throughout it. Meaning they were mated. This was going to open a wholly different can of worms. Since anyone who looked at Hiei's signature could see the emerald coloring cutting through the black and it was obvious that within Kurama's emerald signature was black, forever tying him to Hiei.

There was going to be no easy way to solve this problem. Someone was going to lose his mate, no matter what. And it wouldn't be him.

"What the hell are you sneering at?" Karasu's voice broke his concentration and he lost most of the hold he had on Youko's signature. Now all he could claim was a small pressure in the back of his mind, telling him of the kitsune's movements.

He opened his eyes to glower at the yokai in front of him. He could feel what this bastard had done to his mate while holding him in captivity. The gods have mercy on Karasu's soul if Hiei ever managed to get loose from his bonds to show his 'thanks' for the hospitality shown Kurama.

"The knowledge that I would soon have to open my eyes to see your hideous face." He retorted, gratified by the look of fury which appeared on Karasu's face.

"Calm down, Karasu. You must be patient with our guests. After all, you mustn't harm your guest needlessly." Yomi's forever calm and smooth voice floated over to them. The yokai himself hadn't moved an inch from where he sat, listening, yes _listening_, to the Detective. Not his words, but more the inner workings of him. A rather creepy experience that Hiei had yet to endure. Yomi was much more interested in Yusuke.

Yomi was another one that Hiei wished he could kill for his time spent with Kurama. He could feel the remnants of Yomi's aura mixing with that of Kurama's in the dungeon. And not in a good way. That either of the yokai had dared to lay a hand on his mate angered him to no end.

"Tch." Karasu frowned and turned away from Hiei, marching over to a chair and flopping into it, in a rather ningen fashion. "I still don't see why you're offering them to the yokai masses. If you just broadcast it a little more, Kurama'll come running to save his mate."

"Unless he's already with his mate." Yomi replied calmly. "You don't seem to understand that Youko Kurama and his little red-headed ningen are two completely different people. They're both mated with two different yokai, too, which should be proof for you."

"Well, Youko Kurama has always been rumored to be fickle, Yomi. You never know if he'd randomly show up to save his other half's mate." Karasu said bluntly.

"Actually, I do. You forget that I knew Youko Kurama personally. I even knew him when Kuronue still lived, hence how I know that he'll never risk his happiness with his mate for the mate of the ningen sharing his body." Yomi's voice took on a cold tone that said without words that Karasu was treading on extremely thin ice.

Karasu apparently took the hint, for he stood, running an agitated hand through his hair. "I'm going out to get some fresh air. It's getting boring in here." Yomi did not acknowledge Karasu's comment, who took the ignorance as a 'What do I care?' and left.

Once the annoying cretin was gone, Hiei again closed his eyes to concentrate on Youko's signature. It wasn't hard to lock onto, with his tie to Kurama working against Youko. Though he hadn't noticed it at first, there was a slight bit of emerald in the silver aura, probably meaning that Kurama had been fighting Youko's control. Good. Maybe things would be simpler now. Slowly, a thought occurred to him. Perhaps he could reach Kurama with telepathy…Well, anything was worth a shot.

'/Kurama?/' Hiei felt Youko's surprise at the easy intrusion of his mind.

'/What the hell do you think you're doing, Forbidden Child? Get the hell out of my mind!/' Youko responded, a snarl evident even though these were only thoughts.

'/I'm not trying to talk to you, Kitsune. I want to talk to Kurama./' Hiei thought coldly.

Youko nearly hissed in response. '/Shuuichi is beyond your reach. Be thankful the little brat pestered me enough to come and save your dumb ass./'

Hiei nearly lost his concentration at that. Kurama had pestered the Great Youko Kurama into helping his mate? Though, if that were the case, that meant that Kurama wasn't buried as deep as Youko made him out to be. It meant that he could be reached, if Hiei tried hard enough.

Oh, Youko was in for a surprise.

Hiei could feel Youko relax as he withdrew his mental touch from the kitsune's mind, only to feel him basically scream in protest as he drove the mental touch deeper, deeper until he was swallowed by an emerald aura.

'/Hiei?/' Oh yes, this was his mate's sanctuary.

'/Hn./'

'/Hiei!/' There was a brief moment where Hiei felt a sensation quite like a hug from his mate's side of the link. '/How did you get through Youko's barriers?/'

'/You left me an opening by fighting with him. Also, the idiot happened to mention that you 'pestered' him into coming to the rescue, which insinuated that you weren't buried as deep as he wanted me to believe./' Hiei could feel as Kurama chuckled, amused.

'/The Great Youko Kurama has never tangled with someone as formidable as you, obviously./'

'/Hn./' He may not have sounded it, but he was pleased with the praise his mate had given him.

[Kuronue

When Youko howled in rage, he had no idea what had caused it.

When Youko grabbed his head in both hands, he was still clueless.

When he saw the spear of black aura piercing Youko's silver, he was pissed.

Someone dared to mess with _his_ Youko's mind? They were going to pay.

He quickly reached out through the link he shared with Youko to follow the black spear of aura into Youko's mind until he ran into a wall of emerald green.

The Forbidden Child. That was the only person who'd be able to sink through Youko's defenses like this to reach the ningen. He should've seen it earlier, since it was obvious that the ningen's aura had black swirls within it. They were _mated_.

That made things a hell of a lot worse.

Clearing his thoughts of the two being mated, he wrapped himself around the black spear, yanking back on it. There was no way in hell that he would allow this intrusion to continue. He could feel as Youko joined him in the pulling and slowly, they removed the Forbidden Child's spear of thought from the ningen's sanctuary.

Kuronue blinked as he caught a glimpse of livid red eyes before they expelled the spear from Youko's mind. That was _not_ a happy Forbidden Child.

He slowly removed his mind from Youko's, though he let his aura mix with Youko's, offering comfort. Youko reached out, grabbing onto his arm and setting his head against it.

"What happened?" the Spirit Agent demanded worriedly.

"I felt Hiei's aura…" the ningen said slowly.

"The damn Forbidden Child decided to take a stab at Youko's mind. I'm slowly considering this rescue mission as a complete waste of time." Kuronue growled at the four they traveled with. "Especially since I will kill him for doing that when we do save him."

"He was probably only trying to talk to Kurama-"

Kuronue bared his fangs at the ningen, cutting him off from his comment. "I would feel the same way if he were a king of Makai: He had no right to dive into Youko's mind. And in case you didn't notice, the ningen is not in control anymore! This is _Youko's_ body."

The ningen opened his mouth to argue, but the ice-yokai stepped forward. "Enough, Kuwabara. This is not the time to spend on petty arguments. You know that these two are only coming along for completely personal reasons, as most yokai would."

"And what is your reason, Touya?" Youko questioned, his eyes like ice. "What reason do you claim to come on this mission?"

"It started as a mission to save Shuuichi, my friend. Now it's a mission to save Yusuke and Hiei." The ice-yokai shrugged fluidly in response.

"Koenma ordered it, I'm sure. Isn't that the only way you and Jinn can stay in Ningenkai: by following Koenma's orders?" Youko's voice took on a scornful tone. "Why you would want to stay there is beyond me…but I suppose that everyone has their preferences."

"Stop!" The Spirit Agent shrieked out. "Let's just finish the mission! We don't have time for all this bickering!"

Youko and Kuronue glanced at each other, shrugging. They didn't care. They weren't going to stick around once the Detective and Forbidden Child were out of Yomi's hands.

A/N: Whoo-hoo! 'Nother chapter down! And what do you all think is going to happen with this new development? (Evil Grin) Preview:

[Kuronue

He watched as Youko deftly picked the locks on the Forbidden Child's manacles. He'd already released the Detective, who was being checked over by the Agent while staring at he and Youko.

Youko stepped back, the manacles being released. The Forbidden Child found his feet quickly and stared up at Youko, who was retreating back to Kuronue's side. Before Youko could make it to the safety of his presence, however, the Forbidden Child seized his hand, pulling him forward and into a kiss.

Oh, he was going to die.

There ya go! R&R, please! See ya next time!

Oh, I was wondering, have any of you heard of a website called If not, allow me a moment to tell you what it's about. It's kind of a role-playing website where you can be anyone you want to be. I was wondering if any of you wanted to become either a Kuronue or a Youko and hook up with me on there? It's not difficult, but if you want to be more than one person, you have to have more than one e-mail, which isn't uncommon these days. At any rate, just thought I'd run it by you guys!

-KuroSakura-chan out!


	8. Chapter 8

-1Doi Co Bao Lau

Summary: Name's taken from a Vietnamese song (which rocks, find the band Cardin and listen to it) and it means 'To Be Alone.' Or something like that. Anyway, onto the actual summary. Kuronue, wandering around Ningenkai, learns of Kurama's kidnap by Yomi from listening to Yusuke's conversation with the others. Of course, he didn't believe that Youko could still be alive, but his curiosity got the best of him and he heads off to find Yomi and Kurama. However, what he finds is not what he was looking for.

Category: Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Angst. Romance. Crap like that.

Rating: M/NC-17

Couples: Karasu/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Yomi/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Kuronue/Youko, Hiei/Kurama

Warnings: Look at my couples section. Don't ask questions like that. I will fill this in as I go along, however.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Kuro: Yo! Um, I was wondering if you'd all take a little trip to my profile for me!

Kurama: Is this about that poll you have going?

Kuro: Yep! I'm doing a poll about what category my next fic should be in! There are seven choice which you can look at there. I'll be leaving it up until December 19th, so hurry to vote please!

[Kuronue

"Are you sure we'll be able to get in here?" The Agent asked, staring at the crack in the castle walls with distrust.

He rolled his eyes, wondering if Youko's ningen would become upset if he killed her. 'Probably,' was what he decided.

"This is how Kuronue and I escaped. It'll be fine." Youko whispered at her. She still looked uneasy, but said nothing else as Kuronue and Youko slipped inside.

As before, there were no guards in the hallway. However, Kuronue had no idea where to go. He wasn't sure if the two were being kept in the dungeon or not. He glanced at Youko, who turned to the Spirit Agent, who looked down at a machine in her hand.

"It says that they're above us." She whispered to them.

Kuronue rolled his eyes yet again. Of course they'd be above them. Where most of the guards probably were. He and Youko could probably make it with little trouble, but managing to drag along the other four seemed a bit more on the difficult side. Youko clearly caught onto his train of thought and agreed, for he turned to the two yokai.

"Touya, Jinn, we need a distraction." Touya stared at him for a moment, before nodding and pulling Jinn back outside the castle with him.

"What do you need a distraction for?" The ningen questioned loudly. Youko and Kuronue's combined glare made him gulp.

"While Youko and I would have little trouble making our way through this castle on our own, I'm sure that you two do not trust us enough with your friends." The ningen nodded at this statement. "Well, that means that we'll have to get you two up there too. So, we need a distraction to cover your impossibly low capacity for stealth." Kuronue explained.

"Uh…What?" The ningen blinked.

"Don't worry about it, Kuwabara." The Agent said, setting a hand on his arm. "He just said that they were going to take us with them to save Yusuke and Hiei."

Youko rolled his eyes but said nothing, instead starting to slip down the hallway leading to the stairs. Kuronue followed, wincing as the two behind him made enough noise to rouse suspicion.

They would've never survived in Makai on their own.

…

He watched as Youko deftly picked the locks on the Forbidden Child's manacles. He'd already released the Detective, who was being checked over by the Agent while staring at he and Youko.

Youko stepped back, the manacles being released. The Forbidden Child found his feet quickly and stared up at Youko, who was retreating back to Kuronue's side. Before Youko could make it to the safety of his presence, however, the Forbidden Child seized his hand, pulling him forward and into a kiss.

Oh, he was going to die.

With a quickness he only used when opening time-sensitive locks, Kuronue flung his blade between Youko and the Forbidden Child, forcing them apart. Darting forward, he placed himself between the two of them. The Forbidden Child's eyes narrowed, but he made no move to get near to Youko again.

"Oi, Kurama!" At the Detective's exclamation, Kuronue whirled around to see the struggle for control on Youko's face. The Detective had stepped forward, but he too had to dodge Kuronue's blade.

"Youko." Kuronue set his hands on Youko's shoulders, shaking his kitsune. "You can fight, him, Youko. He's just a ningen."

He ignored the Forbidden Child's snort of disbelief. "Your time is over, Bat. This is Shuuichi's time, not Youko's. You had your years with him and they're over now."

"No. No! Shuuichi and I agreed to return to Makai when we regained my power! This is my time again!" Youko shouted, his hands on the side of his head. "I won't give in. Not when I have Kuro back…"

"Why, Youko Kurama. It has been so long, hasn't it?" Kuronue's blood ran cold as he heard the calm, semi-amused voice in the doorway. He knew that voice. It was Yomi.

[Yusuke

Watching the scene between Youko Kurama, the strange yokai, and Hiei was slightly disturbing. There was something more there than what he could see, and it was making the way they reacted to each other more hostile than he had expected.

When Yomi strode into the room, however, his attention was quickly diverted from the on-going hostilities between his friends and rescuers.

He could see the new yokai tense and Youko's eyes widen marginally before narrowing to pinpoints. They had not expected to run into Yomi, then.

"Why, Youko Kurama. It has been so long, hasn't it?" Yomi sounded rather amused.

'This could be bad…' He thought to himself.

"I had a feeling that you had come when I dealt with the distraction outside. It never was something you were fond of, but then, I'm sure you had your reasons to do something you disliked." Yomi spoke as though they were only discussing the weather. "They did manage to destroy a large part of my army as well as Karasu."

"Did you kill them?" Botan demanded, stepping forward, and Yusuke had to place an arm out to stop her advance.

Yomi turned his head towards them slightly. "No. I felt no real need to do so." Botan sighed in relief. "My, what an interesting party you've pulled together, Youko. A Spirit Detective, a Spirit Agent, the Forbidden Child, and a ningen." Yomi turned back to Youko Kurama. "Oh, and let's not forget Kuronue. I was under the impression that he was dead, so where _did_ you find him?"

"…How did you know that he was supposed to be dead? You were not around at that time!" Youko glowered.

"It might have something to do with having been the one to cut his pendant. I knew he'd go back for it. I'm truly surprised that he managed to live after being hit with so many bamboo stakes." Yomi stated calmly as Youko stopped breathing. Kuronue's eyes had widened now and he slowly fingered the pendant he wore on his neck.

"You…_You _did that?" Youko's voice was cold, colder than Yusuke had ever heard it. He watched as Youko's fists clenched at his sides. "You cost me the happiness I had found…You took it from me."

"And _you_ took my light!" For the first time, Yusuke heard Yomi's voice rise and color with a true emotion. Anger. "You sent that assassin after me and stole my light! It seemed only fitting that I steal what you had seen as your light." The last statement was heard in Yomi's normal, calm tone.

"But you failed." Kuronue spoke up and Yomi turned towards him. "I did not die, as you had anticipated. Not only that, but I found Youko again. And I will not lose him again." Kuronue had his blade again, tossing it into the air while eyeing Yomi. "But I shall make sure that you lose more than just your 'light' for what you have done."

"You are welcome to try." Was Yomi's reply.

A/N: Oh my…We're nearing the end of this…Um, at the most, there'll be two more chapters, but I'm leaning more towards only one. I didn't realize how close we were to completion until one night I was lying in bed and thinking about it. 'Huh. Once this happens that then that, there's no more. Well I'll be damned. It's almost done!' It kinda sucks. I really like this fic. But that's ok. I have another Kuronue/Youko in the works. Anyway, preview:

[Hiei

He watched as the pendant Youko had been wearing of black onyx flew from its snapped chain and Youko disappeared, leaving Kurama standing in his place.

"Youko!" Kurama's shout was full of pain, as though his soul was being torn in two. Which, when reaching out through their link, Hiei found that it was.

R&R, please!!


	9. Chapter 9

-1Doi Co Bao Lau

Summary: Name's taken from a Vietnamese song (which rocks, find the band Cardin and listen to it) and it means 'To Be Alone.' Or something like that. Anyway, onto the actual summary. Kuronue, wandering around Ningenkai, learns of Kurama's kidnap by Yomi from listening to Yusuke's conversation with the others. Of course, he didn't believe that Youko could still be alive, but his curiosity got the best of him and he heads off to find Yomi and Kurama. However, what he finds is not what he was looking for.

Category: Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Angst. Romance. Crap like that.

Rating: M/NC-17

Couples: Karasu/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Yomi/Kurama (forced)[mentioned, Kuronue/Youko, Hiei/Kurama

Warnings: Look at my couples section. Don't ask questions like that. I will fill this in as I go along, however.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Kuro: Hey, have you guys forgotten about my poll?

Youko: _We_ haven't. Kuronue and I are rooting for YYH to win, since the next one of that section is of us.

Kuronue: Got that right.

Youko: So, Dear Readers, please head to KuroSakura-chan's profile and vote!

Kuronue: Especially since Final Fantasy VII is currently winning! But if you vote, you'll get to read more of us!

Kuro: Hmm, seems better to let them do my announcements for me.

[Hiei

The battle with Yomi was quick. Much quicker than he expected. Clearly Youko and Kuronue work well as a team, sniping at him then darting away to evade his attacks. There was very little for anyone else to do.

But there was one time that Youko was not quick enough. The attack didn't hit him physically, but it snapped the chain of the pendant he was wearing. He watched as the pendant Youko had been wearing of black onyx flew from its snapped chain and Youko disappeared, leaving Kurama standing in his place.

"Youko!" Kurama's shout was full of pain, as though his soul was being torn in two. Which, when reaching out through their link, Hiei found that it was.

At the exact same moment, Kuronue's spinning blade severed Yomi's head from his body, but Kuronue was not watching. Instead, he was diving towards the falling pendant, much to Hiei's confusion until he took a closer look at it.

It pulsed with life and was surrounded by a silver aura. Youko's half of Kurama's soul was inside the pendant.

How, Hiei knew not. All that he knew was that was what happened. Youko's soul was forcibly ripped from Kurama's when the pendant's chain was severed, forever severing the two of them. And it was going to take a lot to keep either of them from dying.

[Kuronue

He didn't hear anything that the Spirit Detective was saying to him. He was too focused on pouring life into the pendant, determined to keep Youko alive. When the Detective started pulling him along, he didn't fight it. He followed like a sheep, unable to tear himself away from sustaining Youko's hold on life, even if it cost him his own.

He barely noticed the clamor around him as the Spirit Agent used a portal to take them to Reikai. He did notice the toddler with the pacifier who suddenly yanked his head up, tearing his eyes away from the pendant housing a soul as much his as the one he was born with.

"Let him go." That order crashed down on his ears and he stepped backward, shaking his head and pulling the pendant close to his chest.

"Never…I'll never let him go. We didn't do anything to deserve this treatment…We didn't…" His voice was edging on hysterical and some part of his brain that had held onto sanity noted it calmly. It couldn't overpower the rest of the brain which was slowly falling into hysteria so there was no reason to fight.

"Koenma, you owe them! You owe them for saving your spirit detective's life!" The rational part of his mind heard the argument the Spirit Detective was putting forth, but the rest was solely focused on the pendant again. Youko's life was stronger now, but still unstable. If he didn't keep feeding it energy, Youko would be lost forever. But, if he did keep feeding his energy to Youko's pendant, then he would die. It wasn't a choice, in all actuality, and the rational part of his brain knew this with resigned certainty.

He would die before letting Youko.

"…Come on. We'll ask Lord Enma what to do. He's the God of Death and Judgment."

Again, only the rational part of his brain understood what was going on around him. It watched with detached curiosity as Koenma led them down through twisting hallways, wondering how difficult it would be for him and Youko to-Ah, but it had to look back at the partially hysterical part of itself to make sure that the hysteria had not gained complete control and to see if Youko's soul had stabilized.

It hadn't yet, not that the rational part had really expected it to. There was a small part of the rationality that believed that Youko would not live. That they both were going to die and be reunited in death. The rest of the rational part believed that that part was slowly being drawn into the hysterical part and would soon cease to be rational.

Opening of large doors drew the rational part back to watching his surroundings. He was led into a large room with a dais at the far end. There were currently three thrones occupying the dais, all three filled. The center throne enshrined a large man, yet all that could be seen of him was a shadow through a curtain. The throne to the right housed a deity shining so brightly that she was blinding even through the thick curtain obscuring her from view. The last deity, on the left, shone with a pale, silvery light.

There was an affinity to the left deity. Even the semi-hysterical side of his mind felt it. It calmed the hysteria slightly, though not enough for the rationality to resume control. Yet at this time, the rational part was quite content to just be watching the occurrences.

"Why have you come here with so many mortals, Koenma?" The center deity spoke and slowly the hysteria began to grow again. There was a pull from this deity and it was overcoming the calming affinity felt from the left deity. The rational part knew what this pull was.

It was death. The death he should've suffered, but escaped. Death had clearly been reluctant to give him up.

"I am sorry to barge in on you sire, but…We have trouble." The rational part felt a giggle from the hysterical side. It found that a toddler speaking to such a grand deity was funny. The rational part became slightly worried.

"When don't the mortals have trouble?" The shining deity spoke, her voice like the hottest flames of a fire, crackling and popping while she spoke.

"Quiet, Child. This is not your place." The center deity spoke, his voice taking on a slightly disapproving tone.

"My apologies…" The shining deity sounded sullen, like a child believing she was being unfairly punished.

"If I may…?" The left deity spoke, his voice cold, but comforting like the light from the moon.

"Go ahead, Child." The center deity granted permission to the left one.

"Koenma, why have you brought Kuronue here? Why is his mind torn in two and his heart being ripped to shreds?" The left deity spoke softly, but it was obvious he was displeased.

"Is _this_ the bat you begged Mother to save?" The shining deity interrupted, leaning forward on her throne to look at the other. It was obvious by how the light brightened to see her move.

"Amaterasu, I did not grant you permission to speak." The center deity spoke and the shining one cringed back into her seat. She knew when she was toeing the line, even if her father had placed her in the heavens. "Koenma, answer him."

Koenma glanced back at the Spirit Detective and Agent, wringing his hands.

"Because Youko Kurama is dying." The Spirit Detective burst out, stepping forward. "I think his soul is in that pendant that Kuronue is cradling so desperately. Can't you guys do something? You are gods, aren't you?"

"Yusuke!" Koenma gasped. To speak to the gods like that could get you killed, or so the rational part of Kuronue's mind thought.

To everyone's surprise, the left deity stood, stepping further forward on the dais. The other two deities, however, did not move. They probably were not surprised.

"Tsuki-yomi. What are you doing?" The center deity did not sound upset as he did when Amaterasu made her comments.

"Mother gave these to Children to me. She agreed to allow me to let them live and die as I see fit. You agreed to this too, Grandfather." Tsuki-yomi said, walking towards the end of the dais, his figure shrinking to that of a normal person's stature. "They are my Beloved; my little bat and my little fox."

"Beloved? Mortals? Brother, you simply must spend more time with the other kami if you love these mortals!" Amaterasu laughed, shaking her head.

"One day, Sister, you will understand why some kami have Beloved mortals. You will one day become attached to at least one mortal and will beg Mother to let their lives rest within your hands." Tsuki-yomi commented, pulling the curtain away to reveal a young man with night-black hair and pale skin with a silvery sheen. Amaterasu sniffed in disdain, but did not respond to her brother's comment.

Tsuki-yomi floated down from the dais and approached Kuronue. Both parts of his mind, the rational and hysterical stepped closer to him, yearning for the calming touch of his voice, his presence. "My Beloved…What have they done to you?" He set his hand on Kuronue's forehead, banishing the quickly rising fever. His other hand reached down to take the pendant from his hand. He chuckled as he wrest it away and Kuronue whimpered. Tsuki-yomi's touch could not make up for the loss of Youko's soul.

"Grandfather, are you really going to allow this?" Kuronue heard Amaterasu ask as his vision faded to black.

"They are his Beloved. I will not take them from him." Came the reply, though by that time, even the rational part of his mind could barely focus.

"Sleep, my little bat, sleep. And when you wake, you will be reunited with the one who's life is like your own." With Tsuki-yomi's whispered promise, Kuronue let go of his struggle to stay conscious.

…

When he next woke, there was a warm body curled beside him and a feather being trailed down his chest, spending extra time on sensitive areas. His sleep-numbed mind refused to answer any questions he may've posed, so all he was left with was to open his eyes and see who the culprit was.

It took a couple tries to pry his eyes open, since they were quite comfortable closed. When the feather reached his most ticklish area, the spot right above his top rib on his left side, his eyes finally complied with his demands and opened.

Golden eyes alight with mischief appeared above his own, an impish grin on the lips of the eyes' owner. Silver hair drifted down into his face, tickling his nose.

"Good morning, Kuronue." There was the deep, sultry voice he dreamt about for so long while alone. It was enough to melt him on the spot.

"Good morning, Youko…" He croaked out, reaching up to set his hand on Youko's face, running his thumb across Youko's cheek. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, koi." Youko responded, leaning down to place a kiss on Kuronue's lips. "I missed you too."

A/N: DONE!!! My gods, this fic is done! Ok, little bit of information, Tsuki-yomi is the moon god. Sometimes, he'll be shown as a woman, and I chalk it up to mistranslation. Doesn't really matter, I suppose, I just like the idea of him being a him. Ok, I'm sure you all know about the sun goddess Amaterasu, so onto the Mother. That would be Izanami. Just go with it. Some things say that she was their mother, others say that Izanagi was the sole creator. As for 'Grandfather' that would be Enma, the God of Death and Judgment. I read somewhere that he was Izanami and Izanagi's father, so there's that explanation. Everything else, well, that's probably something I made up. Just go with it. Anyway, sorry guys, but there won't be any more! If you all want to see more Kuronue/Youko outta me, go VOTE IN MY POLL!!! It's only up till December 19th, people! And right now, Final Fantasy VII is winning! All right, R&R please! And see you next time!


	10. EXTRA

-1Doi Co Bao Lau EXTRA

Kuro: Because you all complained enough, I have decided to write a short, short chapter explaining what happened to Hiei and Kurama. By the way, as for those of you who wish to know what happens to Kuronue and Youko after the fic, guess. I'm not really thinking of a sequel, so sorry. Anyway, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

[Hiei

He did not follow the others when they trailed after Koenma. He had too much work to do keeping Kurama from entering too deep of shock.

He had determined earlier that Kurama had not lost as much of his soul as he'd originally thought. Kurama must've held tightly to Youko's soul, keeping as much as he could cling to. It also explains why Youko's aura was so weak around the pendant.

The only real danger Kurama was in was the possibility of him sinking into a coma. He would probably wake after his soul nursed its wound awhile, but Hiei was not willing to wait for that.

And so, he did something that he would vehemently deny should anyone ever ask him about it-he laid Kurama's head in his lap, running his fingers through the blood-red hair, and lowered his shields, allowing himself to be immersed in the aura of his mate, his love, his life.

He had no perception of time as it passed. He knew not if seconds, minutes, or hours passed.

All he knew was that Kurama's soul was enveloped in his, seeking comfort and company. It had never been alone before and it was scared.

His soul provided the comfort it sought, though few would believe it to be true. Slowly, Kurama's soul quieted its cry for comfort, content to hide within Hiei's for awhile. It realized that it need not fear being alone so long as Hiei lived. As long as Hiei lived, he would never leave Kurama alone.

Time continued to pass unnoticed by Hiei until Kurama's soul withdrew from within his. He looked down on the face of his love, watching as forest-green eyes unlidded.

"Thank you." Hiei did not have to be told what Kurama was thanking him for; it was obvious.

"Hn." He responded, running his fingers through blood-red hair a little more.

A/N: DONE!! For real this time! R&R, please!


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